Kohberger's guilty plea came after prosecutors presented digital evidence indicating the murders were premeditated, bolstering DNA findings from a knife sheath at the crime scene. According to Jared Barnhart, head of global engagement at Cellebrite, Kohberger's phone was deliberately turned off for two hours when the murders occurred, not due to signal loss or battery drain. The digital footprint also revealed Kohberger attempted to wipe clean his digital trail on the night of the murders, creating a void in his digital record.
Cellphone data placed Kohberger near the victims' home at least 23 times between July 2022 and the murders, prosecutors said. Kohberger switched his Pennsylvania license plates to Washington plates at a DMV in Pullman on November 18, 2022, days after the murders, according to multiple reports. Prosecutors said the Washington plates made it more difficult for police to track Kohberger's white Hyundai Elantra, but they dismissed the DMV visit as related to his expiring Pennsylvania license.
He didn't just lose signal or run out of battery. This was an actual button press, power off, on purpose, and then a power back two hours later. And in the middle of that, four people were killed.
Kohberger was arrested on December 30, 2022, after DNA on a knife sheath clasp led police to him, multiple reports indicate. A cheek swab taken during Kohberger's jail exam matched DNA on the knife sheath from the crime scene, according to multiple reports. Newly released photos show Kohberger with bruises and discolored hands in Latah County Jail on January 5, 2023, multiple reports indicate.
According to Daily Mail - News, Jen Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent, described the injuries as possibly reflecting self-inflicted harm or signs his victims struggled. The motive for the murders remains unknown, and it is unclear how exactly Kohberger sustained the bruises or what specific digital tracks he failed to cover despite his efforts.